With a body in the river and a series of spacesuit failures, Nathan Spring is unconvinced by the machine's verdict of accidental death. And instinct is telling him to pursue it even if it means laying his own life on the line.

""Lee Jones has been dealt with. You are next.""

Somewhere out there is a killer. Can Nathan Spring, recently appointed head of the International Space Police Force, pre-empt his deadly messenger?

There has been an explosion at the chemical plant, disaster in the Channel Tunnel and now there's a terrorist threat. The only clue is a couple of lines of obscure poetry. Can Spring and Theroux unravel the secret in time?

Microbiologist Harvey Goodman has disappeared. It seems that the American space station RONALD REAGAN holds the answer, but pool-playing Commander Griffin is proving less than helpful. Diving deeper into a web of international double-dealing, Nathan smells a rat.